We Live in Time Director Reveals How Scattered Timeline Brought ‘Complexity’ To Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh Starrer; ‘Epic within a postcard size’

by

As a connoisseur of cinema who has witnessed the evolution of storytelling techniques over the years, I must admit that “We Live in Time” has left me both emotionally moved and intellectually stimulated. The nonlinear narrative approach, while unconventional, was masterfully executed by director John Crowley. It allowed for a deeper exploration of the complexities of marriage, love, and loss, compressing decades into a compelling cinematic experience.

We Live in Time” is an emotional and poignant tale exploring themes of family, love, and grief across multiple generations. Rather than following the events chronologically, director John Crowley chose a non-traditional approach, structuring the movie’s timeline in a nonlinear fashion. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explained how this creative choice added complexity to the narrative’s development.

In the movie, it is Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh who play Almut and Tobias. Their lives intertwine unexpectedly in a charming encounter, leading to a passionate romance, marriage, and parenthood. The narrative moves between various time periods, a decision made by the director to provide depth and context to their story.

He mentioned that the film’s non-linear structure added depth to its story, as it delved into numerous aspects of a marriage, spanning different emotional landscapes in a short period. He further stated that this approach elevated the already substantial roles for two outstanding actors, making them feel epic within a compact frame.

The movie starts by showing Tobias, Almut, and their little girl together, but it then leaps back to the fateful night when Almut accidentally hit Tobias with her car. The narrative then interweaves different time periods, moving between the moments that shaped their romance, Almut’s initial cancer diagnosis, her rise as a renowned chef, her participation in the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition, their married life, and other significant events.

The director shared that he had long desired to compare three different time periods concurrently – one for a day, another for six months, and a third for five years. This was intended to convey the sensation of being immersed in a relationship, which is frequently constructed from fragments of shared memories.

When considering the connection with another person, significant moments with them may appear vividly, as if they were scenes in a play or fleeting like a photograph. This is why Crowley aimed to make each scene feel integral to an ongoing narrative. In essence, he explained that life isn’t strictly linear…It’s about two individuals working together to build their lives.

We Live in Time will have a limited theatrical release in the US on October 11. 

Read More

2024-09-13 19:23